Be a super sight-reader

Many junior students fear sight-reading, and for most it’s the part of the practical music exam they dread: being asked to play a short piece of music, unseen. Sight-reading is an important skill for any musician, professional or amateur, and being able to sight-read – and sight-play – well allows one to learn new music more quickly. It also makes it easier to accompany other musicians, play in ensembles or duets, and to play requests. Those of us who are good sight-readers have forgotten how we were taught how to do it: with practice, it becomes an ingrained musical skill which informs the way we study new music all the time.

So, how do you become a super sight-reader? Here are a few key tips:

LOOK

Look at the WHOLE piece from beginning to end.

Look at the key signature. Are there any sharps or flats?

Look at the time signature

Take note of any musical signs (e.g. Allegro, Cantabile, Dolce) which indicate how the piece should be played.

Look for patterns in the music – e.g. broken chords, scales, repeated notes

COUNT

Set a pulse (beat) in your head and start counting before you play. Try to keep to a strict pulse throughout, even if you make mistakes. (When practising sight-reading, you might find it helpful to use a metronome.)

Go slowly: don’t play at performance speed (except in an exam situation) but always keep the pulse regular. You are aiming for accuracy rather than speed.

READ AHEAD

Look ahead like crazy. Don’t be caught by surprise or something unexpected in the music. Your eyes and brain should be onto the next note – or better still, the next bar – as you are playing the current note.

KEEP GOING!

In an exam situation it is important to just keep going. Even if you make a mistake, keep playing: don’t stop and correct the mistake. Keep a strict pulse going all the time. In exams, you are marked on pulse, rhythm, awareness of musical signs and markings and phrasing, as well as accuracy.

PRACTICE!

Even if you do sight-reading practice with your teacher in your weekly lessons, it is important to practice your sight-reading between lessons. Get into the habit of practising your sight-reading regularly (some of my students are surprised that I still practice sight-reading. I incorporate it into my practice routine every week, and I always follow the guidelines given above when learning new music).

If you follow these tips whenever you start work on a new piece, you will find you learn it far more thoroughly, which will enable you to play it better, with greater accuracy, musical awareness, and flow.

Resources:

Piano Time Sight-Reading Book 1 (Pauline Hall & Fiona McCardle). From the author of the Oxford Piano Method, a tutor book which makes learning sight-reading fun. Short, structured exercises and games and quizzes.

Couldn’t be a better advice! Talking about “keep going” and “practice”, try our innovative method which trains the brain and the eye to achieve CONTINUITY, there is no going back, stumbles are eliminated and fluency is quickly achieved! Teachers and students love it.

Look on our website (we will have a new one in a few weeks) http://www.wessarinternational.com The product is called “SightRead4” apps for iPad which are available in the Apple App Store. Instruments: piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass and guitar. More apps will be available soon.

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About

Frances Wilson is a classically-trained pianist, piano teacher and writer on pianism and classical music. She holds Licentiate and Associate Diplomas (both with Distinction) in Piano Performance, and is now based in West Dorset where she teaches from her home in Portland